Fresh
Werner, who served in the Axis forces during the war, gives a magnetic performance.
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
Decision Before Dawn
A woman's kiss . . . A lighted cigarette - Each had Its meaning! An exciting and realistic story of war . . . of German Prisoners Sent Back Behind Their Own Lines as Agents of the Allies!
1951 · 1h 59m · Approved
Action, Thriller, War
Directed by
Anatole Litvak
,
Gerd Oswald
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Decision Before Dawn
Overview
WWII is entering its last phase: Germany is in ruins, but does not yield. The US army lacks crucial knowledge about the German units operating on the opposite side of the Rhine, and decides to send two German prisoners to gather information. The scheme is risky: the Gestapo retains a terribly efficient network to identify and capture spies and deserters. Moreover, it is not clear that "Tiger", who does not mind any dirty work as long as the price is right, and war-weary "Happy", who might be easily betrayed by his feelings, are dependable agents. After Tiger and another American agent are successfully infiltrated, Happy is parachuted in Bavaria. His duty: find out the whereabouts of a powerful German armored unit moving towards the western front.
Director and cast
- Anatole Litvak Director
- Gerd Oswald Director
- Richard Basehart as Lt. Rennick
- Gary Merrill as Col. Devlin
- Oskar Werner as Karl Maurer alias Happy
- Hildegard Knef as Hilde
- Dominique Blanchar as Monique
- O.E. Hasse as Col. von Ecker
- Wilfried Seyferth as Scholtz, SS-Mann
- Hans Christian Blech Cast
- Helene Thimig Cast
- George Tyne Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
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